FOND DU LAC - After a six-month suspension late last year and the loss of their building earlier this year, the Fond du Lac Elks Lodge has suffered another setback.

As of Sept. 17, the Grand Lodge has pulled the local lodge's charter. There will not be local lodge for the next six years, when community members can decide to start a new chapter if desired. At least eight officers are required to attend Elks meetings according to their bylaws, and that expectation was not met at a few of the recent meetings, said Ginger Reath, a member of the Elks Lodge.

Reath said the decline of the organization started when their building at 33 Sheboygan Street was put up for sale mid-March. "Having (the building) taken away, nothing was the same after that," she said. "The socialization of the whole place kind of left. The spirit of a lot of people left."

However, Elks members were still passionate about serving the community, Reath said.

Since the lodge's conception in the late 1800s, the Elks Lodge has given 10 million dollars back to the Fond du Lac community through organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, the Fond du Lac Public Library, the Beacon House, NAMI, and organizations that support veterans. They gave scholarships and sponsored multiple youth programs like Project Blake, an open art studio for troubled teens. In addition, they were big advocates for drug recovery awareness.

"We'll miss them as neighbors," Terri Flemming of the Fond du Lac Library said. "They were good neighbors to all of the downtown and they helped provide downtown as a destination. We collaborated with them on special events. They were a great collaborator and great neighbor."

Dan Habel, the executive director at the Boys & Girls Club, was upset to hear the Elks were no longer an organization because they raised money for many good causes in the community. "The ultimate loser in this situation is the community because the community is going to lose someone who cares about our future," he said.

The Elks Lodge's most recent campaign included encouraging people to think positively about the community.(Photo: Courtesy of Ginger Reath)

Their most recent campaign tried to inspire positivity within the community by giving back to interests that would help Fond du Lac change for the better. That positivity would then inspire youth to stay in the community. They hung a banner at the library for community members to write what made Fond du Lac "rock." They also spray painted a rock that now stands in front of the library.

"The rock that sits in front of the library is (the Elks') legacy of what we left," Reath said. "We rocked Fond du Lac."

Reath still intends to volunteer in the community when her membership in the Elks Lodge is revoked, and she believes many other members will do the same. She also hopes the community continues its effort to make Fond du Lac a great place to live.

"It's an opportunity also for the rest of the community to step up in (the Elks Lodge's) absence and continue to support what they thought was important," Habel said.

Reach Madeline Zukowski at 920-907-7968 or mzukowski@gannett.com; on Twitter:@madszuko.